The National Horseracing Authority’s Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde has reportedly confirmed there will be an enquiry into the objection in race 1 at Turffontein on Saturday, one of the most controversial upheld decisions in recent times.

Jockey Karl Zechner aboard Nordic Storm, who had been backed from 8/1 into 7/2,  objected against the favourite Querari Viking on the grounds of being bumped at the start and on interference in the straight. However, in a live explanation given by a stipendiary steward to Tellytrack viewers, it was divulged that the chief incident looked at by the stipes was the one in the straight.

Nordic Storm is being aimed at a narrow gap between Querari Viking and the rail at about the 300m mark but has the door closed on him. He thus switches outward and after being hard ridden is beaten 1,1 lengths. Meanwhile, Querari Viking had galloped strongly to the line. In the view of the stipendiary stewards the interference at the 300m mark had affected  Nordic Storm’s momentum and in their opinion it had cost the horse a length-and-half. Considering he had then closed the gap to about a length, which was the distance separating the horses at the time of the interference, they decided to award the race to Nordic Storm, albeit on a split decision.

However, in the view of many irate punters the switching movement had not cost Nordic Storm much, if any, momentum. In their opinion Querari Viking had simply been travelling the stronger at the time and had pulled clear before duly holding on to win comfortably.

Due to rule 69.3.1 upheld objections usually pertain to horses which are beaten narrowly, while at the same time having been cost obviously more ground than the winning margin.

Rule 69.3.1 states: a placed HORSE was interfered with by another placed HORSE and/or its RIDER during a RACE and the HORSE which was interfered with would, but for the interference, have finished ahead of the HORSE which caused the interference, in which event, the OBJECTION BOARD shall place the HORSE which caused the interference behind the HORSE which was interfered with or it may disqualify the HORSE which caused the interference.

Yesterday’s Scottsville meeting was also tinged with controversy.

In the fifth race jockey Keagan de Melo was not ready when the starter pressed the button as some equipment on his mount was still being adjusted. His mount thus left the stalls riderless. The starter, upon realising what had happened, called a false start. However, not all of the jockeys heard the call. Once a false start is called the event immediately becomes a “no race”. Therefore chief stipendiary steward Sean Parker was left with only two options, to re-run the race later or declare it null and void. He opted for the latter, it being the fairer choice on the horses. He said an enquiry would be held into the jockeys not responding to the false start call and added the current “recall” procedures would be looked into to see whether they could be improved upon.

David Thiselton

It seems that misfortunes come in pairs and following on the heels of Saturday’s controversial objection in the first race at Turffontein, the fifth at Scottsville yesterday was declared null-and-void after the riders failed to heed a call of a false start.

The race was won in a canter by odds-on favourite Magic Memory.

Explaining the start, Chairman of the Stipendiary board, Shaun Parker, said they did not have an option.

He explained that the bridle on Dundrum had come loose in the stalls and while the handlers where trying to get it back in place the start was effected. “The rider was not seated and the starter called a false start.” It would appear that not all the riders heard the call and carried on with the race. “Some said they heard the call and others said they did not,” said Parker.

He said that there would be an investigation into the start but pointed out that once the starter had declared a false start it “was just that”. The option was to re-run the race later or to declare the race null-and-void.

This is the second time within three months, also at Scottsville, where a race has continued with some jockeys declaring that they had not heard the starter’s call of a false start!

Dame Eleanor (Nkosi Hlophe)

Jockeys – and trainers for that matter – have long been critical of the Scottsville straight course, for years maintaining that you can only win from a low draw. Recent results have demolished that long held myth as Anthony Delpech confirmed when winning the first from the extreme outside draw yesterday. “We need to forget about the inside draw. The track is very even and very fair. In fact I now prefer to be drawn wide.” His view may have been coloured by the fact that he had just scored aboard the Mike de Kock first timer Dame Eleanor – a difficult customer by all accounts. “She’s a bit hot but she handled herself quite well,” remarked long-time assistant Nathan Kotzen.

If anything the following two races confirmed Delpech’s view. He was aboard favourite Sir Edmund in the MBK Agencies Maiden but after giving his mount every chance from gate 7 he was swamped by three runners drawn way on their outside. Roy’s Magic (12), Cabinda (15) and Amazon King (16) all jumped from outside gates with Roy’s Magic making it two-from-two for Australian-breds in the opening exchanges, the Life Is Good form proving reliable with the first three past the post having finished behind Alyson Wright‘s runner.

Bubka, racing in blinkers for the first time, got a peach of a ride from visiting Highveld rider Marco van Rensburg, who was carted off to the doctor after being dumped by his mount by Natatela in the sixth. Also drawn deep at 15, Van Rensburg arrived late on Pat Lunn’s gelding and although this was not the strongest of fields, blinkers appear to have extracted the best out of the lightly raced four-year-old.

The Michael Roberts-trained Seatops, a reluctant starter, put it all behind her to get up on the line in a tight finish to the KZN 3YO Series to deny favourite Anime in a tight finish.

Andrew Harrison

Mubtaahij, second in the Dubai World Cup for Mike de Kock in March, continues to make waves on his current stint in the US and was denied by a whisker in the $600000 Woodward at Saratoga on Saturday.

Shaman Ghost, under Javier Castellano, split horses in deep stretch and outlasted Mubtaahij to the wire to win the Woodward by a head. It was another head back to Frosted, the 2-5 favorite, who had to come eight wide in the stretch.

Frosted got third by a head over Breaking Lucky, who was 7 1/4 lengths clear of Tapin Mojo.

Shaman Ghost was a relatively close-up fourth throughout, while Frosted raced in sixth position about six lengths off the pace.

Entering the far turn, Shaman Ghost, Samraat, and Frosted launched their bids. But with Bradester in the No. 4 path and Breaking Lucky off his flank in the No. 5  path, Shaman Ghost, Samraat, and Frosted had to come six, seven, and eight wide.

Meanwhile, Mubtaahij, who raced in seventh under Irad Ortiz Jr., was able to save some ground around the turn and entering the stretch.  He made a bid for the lead at the eighth pole inside of Shaman Ghost, who was splitting horses, Breaking Lucky, who was persevering, and Frosted, who was still under a hand ride.

Little separated that quartet from the sixteenth pole to the wire, but Shaman Ghost was able get up over Mubtaahij, Frosted, and Breaking Lucky.

Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Frosted, said the trip probably cost his horse.

“I thought we were going to get there, but the horse was very wide and the fractions weren’t very fast,” McLaughlin said. “He just didn’t have his ‘A’ game today.”

McLaughlin said it was too early to say what the future holds for Frosted, who has already secured fees-paid berths into the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles and the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Frosted is winless in three tries at 1 1/4 miles.

McLaughlin is also the trainer of Mubtaahij, who despite breaking from the outside post had a good trip in comparison to his rivals, but couldn’t match strides with Shaman Ghost late.

“Mubtaahij ran great, post position hurt him,” McLaughlin said.

It is likely that Shaman Ghost and Mubtaahij will meet again in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

DRF.com (David Grening)

Picture: Horseracingnation.com

Sales toppers the world over have mostly not lived up to expectations. Two that spring immediately to mind are The Green Monkey and even more spectacularly Snaafi Dancer. Both were expensive failures on the track and to add insult to injury, Snaafi Dancer also proved infertile at stud.

Closer to home, Horizon, a R5.2 million purchase started favourite at Kenilworth yesterday and finished with only four behind him on debut. To be fair he is a magnificent specimen and judged on his pedigree and his action going to the start, he should prove a better proposition over much further. The jury is still out on this one.

That said, Savannah Cat, a R4,75 million purchase by Fort Wood steps out in the first at Scottsville on Sunday for Duncan Howells.  The majority of the field are also having their first race so one can read nothing into the form but news from the yard is that Savannah Cat is showing good work and the stable is cautiously optimistic.

Of the three that have run, Northern Storm didn’t feature on the poly after two promising efforts over tomorrow’s course and distance behind subsequent stakes winners in A Womens Way and Querari Falcon.

Gavin van Zyl has declared blinkers on his filly along with four-claiming apprentice Dennis Schwarz so she is likely to be hopping along from the jump.

Howells has three strong contenders in the second but his trio are up against a few others that have shown promise. Anthony Delpech stays

Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)

aboard Sir Edmund who was caught three jumps from the line at his last start and may prove the pick although Amazon King is sure to improve on his debut effort as should Roy’s Magic who finished ahead of his stable companion at much longer odds.

Second in that same race that afternoon was the Michael Roberts-trained Cabinda who was virtually friendless in the market which suggests that this form may prove suspect. My Pal Al has shown up nicely in two starts for Alistair Gordon, his debut effort behind subsequent Gr1 winner Gunner, and he too warrants serious consideration.

Dennis Drier, KZN Champion Trainer for last season by races won, has got his current season off to a rollicking start with 13 winner’s in the first month and can add to that tally in the KZN 3YO Series Fillies that heads the 10-race card. He saddles Anime, yet to finish out of the first three in four outings including two close-up efforts behind A Womens Way and Querari Falcon.

She was unlucky when touched off in her first outing on the poly and is likely to start at fairly cramped odds on Sunday.

Howells has a yard full of lightly raced fillies that he is loath to start on the poly and he starts to maidens in the race in Accidental Tourist and Rainbowinthesky. The latter makes her debut but Accidental Tourist made a smart debut when third behind the highly rated Maple Story and the Howells-trained Online who franked that form when winning last Sunday.

Just how strong that form is, only the race will tell but given that Accidental Tourist is likely to improve many lengths on her debut effort, she will be a threat to Anime.

Andrew Harrison

Le Harve can benefit from a step up in distance to make his class tell in the Lakey Financial Services Handicap at Kenilworth tomorrow.

Richard Fourie’s mount is a full brother to the Scottsville 1 200m Grade 1 winner Normanz and all his three runs so far have been over 200m less. Indeed the doubts with this one are that the trip may not be far enough.

“Le Harve is not a sprinter and really he needs further. I would have preferred to run him in a 1 400m but there isn’t one,” says Justin Snaith. “However he will run a big race.”

Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

He seems almost certain to start favourite – the stable had three favourites (and two winners) here on Wednesday – and the main danger could come from fellow three-year-old Caballo Blanco who is held in high regard by Bass Racing but has not raced since winning his maiden five months ago – “he is a nice horse but he will probably need it,” says Candice.

The same two stables dominate race two, the MCNS Group Maiden, and One Direction makes most appeal despite his poor draw after going so close against odds-on shot Rock Of Africa over a furlong less on debut.

The Bass-Robinson hope Logan was a little disappointing when favourite over a mile last time – he appeared to have every chance – but he represents a major threat on his previous short head second over this trip.

Contessa Fantasia has drawn even worse in the Test Kitchen Maiden 35 minutes later and, while it might appear to be tempting providence to tip her, she had the speed to dispute the early lead last time so Richard Fourie may be able to get her across. The Glen Kotzen pair Main Ambition and Insinya look dangerous while Amazingly would not have to find much more.

Captains Companion would be the bet of the day in the St Dalfour Handicap if you could get the 8-1 of the TAB sheet forecast but the bookies are unlikely to be anywhere near as generous. However Corne Orffer’s mount would still look attractive at half those odds.

After two uncharacteristically poor runs, different tactics were employed and she led until 30m out, going under by only half a length to Miss Marker. “She pulled up sore when she disappointed previously,” Brett Crawford recalls. “But she is a big-actioned filly and so she likes to be able to use herself properly and I think the improvement was a combination of the two factors.”

Harold Crawford also fancies his chances here with Can Cope who put up the most extraordinary performance when beaten little more than two lengths over this trip three weeks ago. “She put her head down in the pens and lost about eight lengths,” says her trainer. “She had never done that before so I am hoping she jumps OK this time.”

Michael Clower